Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chalet-hospital of the Côte d'Echery, located in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines in the Haut-Rhin, was built in the early twentieth century. This Alpine-style wooden building consists of a ground floor with commons and two floors with six bedrooms, some with balconies. Its architecture and interior decorations, like the balusters decorated with geometric motifs, reflect a mountain inspiration.

During the First World War, the chalet was requisitioned by the German army and turned into a health station. The facilities, developed gradually, include a pharmacy, a dental office, a laundry room, a swimming pool with beach, then showers and a coal boiler added in 1916. These facilities, mainly located below the chalet on a terrace supported by a wall, have partly disappeared, but some elements such as the pool basin and the beach remain.

The monument preserves traces of the passage of German soldiers, including inscriptions on the walls. Since 17 November 2010, the chalet and its swimming pools have been listed as historic monuments. This site bears witness to the region's medical and military history during the first global conflict, while illustrating the Alpine architecture of the early twentieth century.

Available sources, such as Hugues Schwieg's works or the references of the Merimée base, underline its heritage importance. The chalet, with its preserved interior spaces (distribution of rooms, doors, double windows) and its exterior remains, offers a unique overview of the sanitary conditions and life of the soldiers during the war.

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